ahoy mateys!!!

as i been readin' the various threads and posts on the good ship USPOL, i seen one thing thats pretty consistent, no matter what political stripe the poster happens to have, and it be this; thar seems to be a great cynacism that government be an efficient manager 'o things.

i can only guess that the most of ye be thinkin' that the less government, the better, and that matters are best handled by "professionals". it seems that most of ye think that the free market should is best equiped to handle things, and that government should just be gettin' the hell outta the way.

me question to ye all is, what would you like government to get entirely out of? by checkin' a box, you'd be sayin' that private enterprise would be more efficient than that government in the given endeavor, aye. also, by checkin' a box, the US government would no longer be able to extract yer tax dollars for said service.

by sayin' "government", imma also including all state and local varieties also.

*salutes*


-Meadhallpirate

Damn, I must be a liberal. I want the government involved in all those things D:

Same here.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I don't think lumping state and federal government together is fair. They is two different aminals.

__________________
There is no secret ingredient.

*blinks*

imma surprised.

i see post after post lampoonin' the government and its competency. i thought thar would be more of a sentiment to remove it from these facets 'o life here in america.

aye.

-meadhallpirate

I don't think the government should get out of any of those things, either. I do think the government should be more effective and efficient in all those areas. In the areas involved in the sciences (NASA, science funding, environment, and even health care) I think the government is doing rather well. The reason I think the government should be involved in the sciences and funding is because it is in our security interests to ensure that we keep our edge in the world with scinece and technology.

In military and police, again, it is in our national interests to be secure.

With education, I have many problems with how that is handled. Public education is mostly ruled by states. While a fan of states' rights, educating our next generations is very much in our national security interests. So I think more involvement on the federal level should occur as public educataion is currently a trainwreck. And, I believe that the culture of our society - "The American Dream" - used to be facilitated by public education. If one is a child of poor immigrants or raised in a poor household, availability to good public education regardless of the quality of 'hood in which you live helped those who had a desire for a better life obtain that better life. It is not that way right now.

Bottom line, my litmus test for what areas the government should be active depends on what is in the best interests of the nation as a whole.

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I am an American. That's the way most of us put it, just matter of factly. They are plain words, those four: you could write them on your thumbnail, or sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky. But remember too, that they are more than just words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them; speak them firmly, speak them proudly, speak them gratefully. I am an American. ...a tradition

I think the FEDERAL government should be out of most of that

I think they should get less involved in the educational curriculum.

Some parts of transportation can be privatized as well, but the governement will always have a guiding role there.

I don't think they should totally get out any of those things.

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"I am no Marxist" - Karl Marx

Of the given list, the feds should be out of everything but the military and some much more limited role regarding environmental protection. Expanding it to states and locales shortens the list quite a bit. One thing left off is social engineering, mostly by way of welfare, but also by some corporate welfare, tax code manipulation, and other policies. Another is personal micromanagement - items like seat belt laws whose impacts are overwhelmingly more personal than public interest.

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Today's forecast: Government corruption.

Tomorrow's forecast: 100% chance of more 'politics as usual'

Maybe it's finally time to vote Libertarian

I can't say that I'd kick the government out of any of the items on the list.

Of course I can see a huge need to change how the government is involved with many things, and I'd love to see increases in efficiency in the government, but those are different topics.

__________________
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

Is this federal government you mean Pirate? (I assume you want them to stop funding the Navy? )

Iraq!